In 1855, the diplomat Sir John Bowring was commissioned by Queen Victoria to lead an embassy to the Southeast Asian kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) in order to negotiate a trading agreement. Arriving in the country in March, he was warmly welcomed by the Thai king Mongkut, who was keen to westernise the country and foster good relations with Britain. A treaty was signed the following month that allowed British merchants to trade freely in Thai ports and permitted British people to settle in the capital, Bangkok. While the treaty ensured Thai independence from greater European influence and the rapid development of the Thai economy, it was unequal and granted British subjects extraterritoriality, meaning that British people in Thailand could not be prosecuted under Thai laws. It also controversially legalised the import of opium, a highly addictive drug, into the country.
Mongkut and Bowring became friends and Bowring dedicated this account of Thailand to the king. It would be his most popular book and provided a concise explanation of the country, its people and its culture to a British audience.